Our programs and services help lay the foundation for students to access a good job and build a great career. Graduates have lifetime access and are always welcome to return to STRIVE when they need to upskill, network or seek guidance.

• Develop the skills that will help you enter the workforce and advance your career

• Gain training, experience and certification for growing industries that are hiring rapidly

• Address barriers to finding work, like secure housing and childcare, or a justice impacted background

• Access workshops to help with money management, mental health support and more.

CAREER PATH

Our flagship program, Career Path, helps students land jobs and build careers in essential industries and in-demand fields. It begins with STRIVE’s signature job readiness workshop, STRIVE START, which provides critical life and job skills training to prepare students to excel at every step of their career journey. START focuses on positive mindsets, accountability, personal responsibility, workplace ethics and etiquette and interpersonal skills. 

Career Path is a 10–12-week program that begins with a 4-week job-readiness workshop and continues with 6-8 weeks of hard-skills training. Students earn industry-recognized certifications and receive internship opportunities with employer partners, equipping them with applicable job experience. 

FUTURE LEADERS

STRIVE Future Leaders is an innovative and comprehensive program for justice-impacted young adults (18-24). Through evidence-based practices students develop the mindset and skills needed to become thriving adults and community members. Students gain access to crucial work experience, community service initiatives and networking opportunities, and are provided the safe space they need to practice and demonstrate their emerging leadership qualities and learn all the tools and resources needed to be successful as they enter the workforce. Paid internships available based on eligibility.

STRIVE Future Leaders is funded by the United States Department of Labor, and developed in collaboration with MDRC and the Youth Development Institute with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

FRESH START

Fresh Start provides case management, job training, interview skills and employment opportunities for returning citizens 25+. All services and approaches are trauma-informed and strengths-based and incorporate social-emotional learning that reinforces positive behaviors and healthy responses to stress that will ensure success on the job. 

Fresh Start also offers access to comprehensive support services and referrals to partner organizations to help with housing, substance-misuse, and other needs. Intensive case management is recognized as best practice in reducing recidivism. STRIVE offers individualized learning plans for students as they progress through career pathway training, credentialing and sustainable employment in high-demand fields.

Meet Ayesha George, Executive Director at STRIVE New York

With over 20 years of program leadership and community engagement experience, Ayesha leads STRIVE’s flagship site in New York City.  Throughout her career, Ayesha has created culturally responsive educational spaces and resources to support marginalized communities and created pathways to long-term self-sufficiency.

Ayesha is deeply committed to equity and views gainful employment is a key element in sustainable economic upward mobility. As a Senior Director at FEGS, Ayesha led multiple teams to success in assisting young adults with substantial barriers to completing a high school education, gaining employment and entering post-secondary education.  At the New York City Department of Education, Ayesha held a variety of family & community engagement leadership roles, most recently overseeing family engagement across Manhattan. 

Ayesha holds a Bachelor of Science from Ball State University and a Master of Arts in the Social Foundations of Education from Eastern Michigan University. 

Prepared to Work, Determined to Succeed

STRIVE was founded in East Harlem in 1984, where our flagship site still operates. With support from leading philanthropic and corporate partners, including the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and many others, STRIVE’s programs have helped tens of thousands of New Yorkers facing the biggest societal barriers to employment find their path towards a life-changing career.

Our New York site assists individuals from every single borough, with a focus on Upper Manhattan and the South Bronx. STRIVE serves the untapped talent here, connecting opportunities to those who need them most. These neighborhoods have experienced redlining, segregated housing developments and displacement—discriminatory policies that have kept them from reaching their full potential, contributing to a poverty rate over one-third and unemployment as one of their top pressing issues. STRIVE knows an area’s history does not have to determine its residents’ futures. Located in the heart of East Harlem, STRIVE New York serves nearly 1,000 unique individuals annually.

In New York City and New York State, construction and healthcare are projected to be the highest growing sectors with the greatest chance for upward mobility, and with close partnerships in New York City, STRIVE has been able to develop career path trainings to match these growing needs.